It’s the first game of the post Giovanni Savarese era, and it’s… kind of a big one! Portland hosts Vancouver with the Cascadia Cup on the line. What type of game will this be? I have no clue - but regardless the match thread is still here for you.
Hey, Sounders fan here. My son has a tournament this weekend and the group got a set of tickets in 215, got to see my first match at Providence Park. Sharing my impressions in case anyone is interested.
First off, whoever set up those 215 seats should be forced to sit there themselves. Specifically try out row V, seat 1. You get an awesome view of a wall, a post, and half of the field! But besides MLS PRO reffing, that was the only non-positive of the whole experience.
Man, I have to tell you guys, you have an awesome thing going. Despite the season and coaching, other woes (fyi Sounders have all the same in spades these days, we’re a fucking mess head to toe).
Before the start I moved down to 109 and stood in the back row. Much better. And I got to bask in the vibe of your guys’ supporters’ section. Man, you guys have it going on. The songs, drumming, and overall unity of the section are awesome. The stadium and end’s acoustics are really tasty. The rolling “fuck Vancouver” to start the game was fucking awesome. Despite being down 2-0 at the half, strongly welcoming your guys in towards the tunnel was solid.
You guys played and supported with grit in the second half. Some stupid mistakes and a lot of shitty reffing stunted what looked to be an awesome comeback against the odds. There were plenty of reasons you guys should have lost or thrown in the towel, but you kept in it despite things being a bit ragged.
The epidemic of MLS PRO not running a good game, and just letting the last 30-35 mins of nearly every MLS match turn into a potential shit show of delays and theatrics is killing this league. The fans are held hostage, and as a 9 year STH my patience has run thin. Hated to see it happen with you guys last night, you kept building momentum and it kept getting snuffed out. I want to see an epidemic of yellow cards for the divers and time-wasters, and get the game flow back on track. I don’t get the sense that Garber gives a crap about anything other than selling more franchises and toying with our league to whatever financial or other ego ends that he can come up with. It’s pathetic and sells out years of blood, sweat, tears and investment by the fanbases. At least that’s the way I have been feeling about it.
About next weekend. For years I looked forward to our derbys, but Schmetzer’s predictability, our lack of bite (man I miss Ozzie), and the general shit-show play of our team for the vast majority of the last 12 months have made the last iterations difficult to watch at best. These are not normal times though, and to boot you guys have had our number for years (I put that mainly on Schmetzer). I have no idea what is going to happen- in normal times I am losing my voice, dropping f-bombs and the bird to your team and coaches, and enjoying the hell out if myself. I do know this though- I’m buying a couple of your traveling supporters beers as a cheers to your guys’ spirit. Good to have you guys as neighbors and worthy rivals, and may the best team win.
I know you probably weren't "rooting" in any serious way, but who does a Sounders fan root for in a Portland/Vancouver match? Or were you just taking in the atmosphere?
I don't know how it works with SeatGeek but the Timbers used to be pretty reliable about listing which seats are obstructed view. Bummer you got stuck there, but thanks to the Timbers being the Timbers, you got to move to a much better spot!
"I don’t get the sense that Garber gives a crap about anything other than selling more franchises"
I think now Garber gives a crap only about maximizing Messi. I have a ton of doubts this is good for the league overall, even as Messi as a player definitely is.
"The stadium and end’s acoustics are really tasty. The rolling “fuck Vancouver” to start the game was fucking awesome."
Yeah, and after a long league layoff and some turgid-at-best play, the TA was in really good voice last night. It was great to hear.
Thanks, had a great time. Our games have sucked lately, our tactics are stale, our FO and media have felt out of touch , misleading, or tone deaf. There’s honestly been more frustration than good footy feelings over the last year. Again I loved your stadium, supporters, and the effort of the team together despite being up against it. I know I am naive to longer issues you guys may be frustrated with, but it was nice to enjoy soccer in a great atmosphere without a lot of the emotional baggage I have been dealing with up N.
Regarding who to root for- I have had some affinity for Timbers and your fans esp since we teamed up vs MLS regarding some of the freedom of speech issues. I respect your club, and don’t have much attachment to Van. Also respect for the home team, and again your supporters are committed which is easy to get behind. I held off on joining any Portland-specific chants, but applauded your good play, swore at the refs, and was bummed with the final score.
"Our games have sucked lately, our tactics are stale, our FO and media have felt out of touch , misleading, or tone deaf. There’s honestly been more frustration than good footy feelings over the last year."
That sounds depressingly familiar. Remember when the MLS Cup final spot from the West was one of these two teams every year? It's kind of amazing how far away that feels now, seemingly for both our favorite clubs.
“ Remember when the MLS Cup final spot from the West was one of these two teams every year? It's kind of amazing how far away that feels now, seemingly for both our favorite clubs.”
100%. We used to be on the cutting edge, pushing the league forward. Now it feels like we’re stuck in a Garber-controlled ever-increasing corporate morass. Too much BS, we had a good thing and I am jonesing for that old feeling.
If it wasn’t there already, Evander is going to have a huge target on his back for easy reactionary yellows. I hope he works on it/gets help.
These games where the other team starts wasting time at minute 55 are excruciating. The worst soccer. Especially when the ref is licking it all up. If a subbed guy stops on the field to take his shin guards out: yellow—introduce that rule immediately.
Vancouver started wasting time almost immediately after their first goal. It only got worse as the game went on.
My hot take for how to fix time wasting is a truly hot one. Traditionalists, hold on:
Stop the clock when play stops for any reason.
The clock can still count up from 0 to 90, but any time the play stops, the clock stops. Out of bounds? Stop until the throw/kick happens. Corner/free kick? Stop the clock until boot touches ball. Player down? Stop the clock. Player being subbed off? Stop the clock until he's off the pitch. Goal? Stop the clock until it's kicked off again. Then, when you get to 45 or 90 minutes, you just blow the whistle and that's that - no added time, because the time spent not playing was accounted for by the stopped clock.
I am not suggesting changing the way the game unfolds, at all - keep everything exactly the same as it is now. Just...don't run the clock when the game is not running.
There is a serious proposal in front of IFAB to do just this. They would shorten the halves to 30 minutes as that is the average time that actual soccer is played today in a 45 minute half. Another proposal is that an injured player who receives treatment must stay off the field for two minutes, or can be subbed off immediately.
Premier League this morning noted that they were holding players off the field if they get an injury during stoppage time. Interested to see if it makes a difference with time wasting.
Honestly, I am encouraged by some of the passion I saw out there. Evander made a silly challenge that cost us the draw. I didn't see a team that gave up though, so that's a start.
I think there will be a lot of small improvements for the rest of the season. They may not be a playoff team but they might end up being halfway interesting to watch if they play the rest of the games like they played the last 30 min of this one.
Give him a big chunk of time with a stable roster before you write him off. And don't pretend like you know whether he cares or not just by reading body language, which is a terrible way to evaluate a player.
I very much want you to be correct. I really do and will look for that. He is so talented that he really can be someone to build the team around. Go Timbers as we turn this around.
Well he’s tied for the team lead in goals, so he’s producing something of value.
But it’d be great if all players earned their salaries with a combination of great attitude and statistics.
Blanco makes $1.3, which is not commensurate with his production. But he does appear to care a lot when he plays for 15 minutes a game.
I don’t know what the correct number of games is to evaluate the fit of a player. Especially when the roster is slowly being sort of turned over. I just know that I wouldn’t pull the plug on a talented 25 year old who leads your team in goals after one season.
He's got talent, but I don't see the attitude/effort/character improving, even with age or time or a new coach. Great players just don't act the way Evander acts. Valeri never pulled that shit. D. Chara never does that shit.
Valeri spent the last two seasons of his career constantly complaining to referees about perceived fouls. Any time anyone so much as came close to Valeri, he was over at the referee gesturing wildly and trying to get a call he was never gonna get.
He is an absolute club legend, but let's not pretend he was some unimpeachable saint who Always Did Everything The Right Way, because nobody is that.
Valeri did before he left. Many players have acted like that in soccer. Some of the best in the world. Ibrahimavic, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, neymar, mbappe, Maradona, gio reyna, I could go on and on. But it doesn't make it right or acceptable. His attitude is shit in many ways and that is enough for me to say gtfoh. Brian Fernandez was on drugs and didn't act that way. He actually gave 100% effort at all times.
Actually don’t remember such a stupid move from Valeri. And contrary to your point, even chara flipped out once and slapped that Montreal player getting him a straight red. That was stupid. Kind of like when Zadine head butted that Italian player in World Cup and lost the French a clear chance at the win which was well before mbappe. But focusing on Evander... What’s absolutely irritating is what a waste He is on the offensive side. Blanco and his no cartilage knees played better tonight. He did ALL the work on evanders goal. At this point is there any question that prime blanco was twice the player that evader has been at any point this year. We dumped Gio. I say they bench Evander after that performance. Heartless lifeless gutless. Mentally, he’s never been there. I keep waiting...
It feels like the risk when you bring DPs in. You hope they’re like Messi in terms of on field play and buy in to your team, city, and culture. Sometimes they don’t buy in and it’s a nightmare. I’m watching Toronto with Insigne and, while Evander drives me crazy, at least it doesn’t seem like that situation!!
I guess if it is like that, it just hasn’t gotten out
Insigne is widely reported to be very unhappy in Toronto and very badly wants out. He doesn't get along with Bernardeschi (their dislike actually predates their Toronto teammate-ship, and makes me wonder why they signed Bernardeschi, since their dislike was very public), didn't get along with Bradley, and while I don't watch Toronto enough to know (or at all, really), I'd be willing to bet he hasn't "bought in" at this point.
Kinda ignomious that we whiffed on three huge transfers: Fernandez, Melano, and now Evander. I'm clinging right now to any sort of hope that we can save this stiuation but this match isn't helping. Unbellievable really - just ike the Caps produced Davies, we actually struck gold with DV and Blanco. And yet missed on three more signings that were much more expensive. Yikes!!
It blows my mind that in this trash fire of a season, where literally everything with this team has gone wrong, lots of people are already calling Evander a waste of time and space and money after he's played, effectively, half a season for the Timbers. I get that sports takes are quick and hot, but man, this whole "EVANDER SUCKS" thing took off mindblowingly fast.
I'm not blind. I see the mistakes he makes. But I also see what is going on around him, and I see a defense that would struggle in rec league, and a midfield that doesn't really know what it's doing either, and I figure this is not the season to evaluate him. If he's still this bad this time next season, after an off season where the Timbers are gonna hopefully rebuild a lot, then sure, maybe "Evander can go" is a thought that will cross my mind. But at this point? He's not even remotely the Timbers' biggest problem.
We’re not blind to his production or his skill. We’re also not blind to his attitude and body language. It sucks. If this was a Gio thing then his body language should have changed significantly. It didn’t. He looks to be the same disinterested player he was before. We’ll see what happens in the next game or two but I’d say he’s given up on Timbers already. Unless some coach can get some buy in from him that shows up on the field, his days here are already numbered. And that’s more his doing and not fans giving up on him.
Body language is a terrible way to evaluate a player. You have no idea what's going on in his head - all you see is what you see. Maybe he's frustrated at himself for not elevating the team! Maybe he's mad at Vancouver for wasting so much time during the match! We don't know!
Also, I will take an entire team full of "disinterested" players any time if they (co)lead the team in goals scored.
Sorry, but couldn’t disagree more. Body language is everything and when you see it displayed on a regular basis from game to game to game. It clearly demonstrates an attitude in the head. Also good mindset never presents with bad body language. Remember we’re not talking about performance we’re talking about body language. You can work hard but miss goals and even make mistakes on defense and still have good body language. Making petulant choices in the penalty box, lazing around with your touches, and generally just slacking it in the way you move...these things are different, and they absolutely say some thing about the state of mind. And his sucks and has sucked for quite a few games. I would say that one of his better performances was in leagues cup, until yet again, another petulant foul that led to a second yellow and ejection, that then prevented him from playing in the next game. Complete lack of maturity. I’d say, when we pay a player a bucket of money we’re not just asking for superior skills we’re asking for the mentality and the focus to exercise those skills and that’s what’s missing from Evander. Will it come back? I sure hope so. I have no personal beef with Evander. I think that his situation and all the adversity the teams dealt with this year is not what he expected. But great players perform they don’t just throw in the towel. Well, I should say at least the great players I want to watch.
Again: dude is tied for the team lead in goals scored and is joint third in assists. Does that read like a guy who doesn't care? Who cares whether he "looks like he cares" - I care whether he produces like he cares. And he seems to.
"Remember we’re not talking about performance we’re talking about body language."
So you're admitting there's no correlation between performance and body language. On that we absolutely agree.
"But great players perform they don’t just throw in the towel"
Show me where the towel was thrown in last night. Dumb fouls? Sure. He did those, and that's not great. But he also scored a goal, which, if he's "thrown in the towel" he would, in your example, be sulking on the touchline and not be contributing at all.
"You can work hard but miss goals and even make mistakes on defense and still have good body language"
And the exact opposite is also true: you can score goals or defend well or whatever and have neutral-to-poor body language.
I mean, let's take Diego Chara for an example.
Any time he gets called for a foul, he smiles. Almost a knowing laugh, right? That sort of like "yeah, I know what I did was bad, but that's what I do" thing he does. He flashes that big Diego Chara smile we know and love. And it's amazing. But the rest of the time, when he makes a really good play, his face is stone still and he looks borderline pissed off; whether that's focus or intensity or whatever, I'm not sure, but...that's my point.
If body language mattered, we'd be all over DC for smiling when he fouls someone, and we'd be berating him for a lack of passion for not being more publicly exuberant when he makes a good play, right? But we don't, because we understand that the body language he shows doesn't relate in any way to the quality of his play.
If it did matter, to get back to Evander, he would, in the eyes of a lot of folks, have zero goals and zero assists, because he doesn't carry himself right.
"we’re asking for the mentality and the focus to exercise those skills and that’s what’s missing from Evander."
But it's not? He does exercise his skills! He scores goals! That's why he's here!
He makes a lot of dumb, frustrated person mistakes. Those aren't great. But he can be coached out of those, and as the team improves, and reworks its roster towards coherence this winter, I believe he will move past most of those dumb mistakes. He's too good of a player not to.
It's just silly to write a player off after 20 games because you don't like the way he carries himself.
Could not disagree with him more. Look who He has around him. Forwards that don’t make runs. Wingers that don’t make runs. Absolutely stagnant attack. If I was him, I would be frustrated too, given the talent he has. This is not to excuse the attitude, and the stupid foul in the box. Evander is far from what’s wrong with this team.
Yeah, I get you. Thing is, he's playing as if he doesn't want to be here. I thought he looked great with Williamson and then Eryk went down. Add to that the mounting injuries and the clueless supporting cast around him...
He was pretty good in Europa League. If we could just get the roster straightened out with a real coach, watch out.
Oh yeah, like Landoid mentioned with Evander - I wanna know sho greenlighted his signing. He was injured right around them time he got here - remember he had that surgery? And now the 3rd (?) ACL? Yeah, which scout if any was resposible?
Who though Grabavoy would be a good GM? He was an average player, stuck around as a scout (and who did he find?), fell into the GM role after Wilkinson left in shame.
Playing ability/careet doesn't necessarily correlate with success as a gm. Granted, Grabavoy's playing career is lightweight - he was a waterboy during those rsl years - it was the Becker,am amd Morales show back then. Still I was willing to give him a shot because he was familiar with the league and he seemed to do ok as a scout. That said, if we can get a guy like Ernst Tanner - we absolutely make the change.
But ......but .......but a lot of people said he was a good second gm. Who? What people? What list of gm's and sporting directors said that? A guy with no experience as a gm. With no history of successful signings or transfers. It's a joke. He is a joke and a piss poor gm. What weight does he have in convincing good players to come to Portland? What connections around the world does he have?
MP is a joke of a owner. Small ambition and small mentality. He isn't cutthroat enough. He only cares if his fo throats him.
I would be fine with him leaving than and going somewhere else. Cause a gm with no experience and no history of success is a joke. People might like him but that doesn't make up for his lack of experience and history of success. So what are they basing it on if there is no empirical evidence to base his value on?
Several extremely successful recent GM hires in MLS have been guys with no experience. The “experience” reason is just an excuse to blame Ned for things that aren’t at all his fault. He hasn’t even been in the job a year, and even less time with a number 2 helping him. Give the guy some time
I don't know, and I won't pretend to. But if the people in the industry in which he works think he's good at his job, he probably is. Sports is a very insular business; teams and staffs talk all the time, through the scouting and recruitment process. Word about people gets around and nobody stays unnoticed for long in those circles.
"Cause a gm with no experience and no history of success is a joke."
Or, it's a GM who just started in the #1 job, like...every GM ever, at one point or another. Whether you think Ned is a "joke" or not is irrelevant, because you have as much empirical evidence to back that up as you want people to have to see your side of your argument.
Look, you don't like the guy, and that's fine. But just constantly repeating the word "joke" about him doesn't really make a very strong argument. You asked for a list of who liked him, you got one, and you don't accept that as being valid. Cool! But maybe come up with some substantive critiques instead of just grinding away at "he has no experience", because, well, he has more than you do at this point, right?
I know this is a farfetched idea but given this season is dunzo anyway why not just call up some T2 guys just to see what we have? Pretty clear that some of the frist team squad shouldn't be here anymore so might as well get an early move on finding their replacements.
Because MLS roster rules don't allow it. They allow short-term signings from the affiliated MLS Next Pro, but each short term signing is only allowed a maximum of two games with the senior squad and each signing is only for four days.
They're designed for injury replacements, not evaluation of fit with the senior squad.
I mean, it's probably allowable, I'm just not sure it would accomplish the goal you're looking to accomplish (I wish it worked the way you want). Ideally if "play the kids" was gonna be a thing, they should get a consistent run of games, and not just a 1-2 game cameo. There's 9 games left now and cycling guys through and throwing them in an unfamiliar setup just to then send them back to T2 a week or so later doesn't really seem like the best way to do that evaluation.
I'm just not seeing anything from Mosquera. Nothing going forward and he's absent on D because he always so far forward. We end up defending with 3 with our center backs covering for him. It's fine if they want to send him forward, but he has to actually produce something...
Yep. And if you don't have the massive dollars to compete with Miami, Atlanta and LAFC for the big ticket DPs, you need to go the Philly route and invest in your Academy and play the kids
And I don't want to hear the excuse that Portland/Oregon has a small population pool. Like nobody else does scouting outside of their supposed "territory"? Ha ha. Stop being lazy and hire some scouts - Actual, credible scouts! - and search the country for kids!
Paulson's MO has been to promote from within and keep everything in-house, along with relentless small-time MLS 1.0 thinking. He's been losing support for two seasons now without that changing. I'd like to think that he might change if things get truly dire financially...but I'd be kidding if I thought that's anything close to a given...
Paulson isn't running the team any more though. At least that's what they're saying since hiring that CEO that was haven't heard from since she was hired
I don't think the CEO has any soccer experience..or does she? It sounded more like a typical CEO in charge of business tupe of move. Like the actual soccer operation is bieng run by Gtrabavoy and the coaching staff. Am I correct in this assertion?
I just do not understand why Evander is playing as an 8, he’s been significantly worse ever since we moved to a 4-3-3 and put him there. And our offense has zero organization, everyone just goes and stands in a line along the defensive backline and doesn’t move, waiting for Evander or one of the fullbacks to do something. It’s nauseating
Conscious decision probably. For whatever reason, both Gio and Joseph think Bingham is a worthy no 2 in this league. Actually, he's barely good enough to even get spot starts and should be in usl at this point in his career.
This is so frustrating. We have 7 players around the box taking up the same space.
Vancouver is getting around our midfield and backline in 3 passes. Then we have Evander who has the composer of a child and the work ethic of a 80 year old, and none of our players can put the ball on frame. Incredible!
We need a massive rebirth to bring hope to this Fandom and that means a elite coach and massive turnover. Disgusting display again.
An idea but if STH and TA both call up the ticket reps and simply say that no renewal and will not buy any merch, etc until MP sells the team - and make it publicly known - maybe that might help. Or pray that Garber notices the lack of ticket sales and mentions him in the annual state of the union address a la rbny.
I was already inclined not to renew after about 16 years as a STH...now I am decided after this. A complete change in the culture is needed, not just the coach, and with MP selling that’s not happening. Talk to me again in 2-3 years...meanwhile I will buy tickets on Seatgeek and support the players. Just won’t commit to a season.
Well, we spent 10 mil on him; did we have a p lan for him? Whose call was it to buy him? Grabavoy? I still thhink Evander can be salvaged but most of these roster needs to be gone. And to be quite frank, I'd like to see Caliskan and Sulte get more of a shot. The season is lost so we might as well find out if any of the reserves have someting to offer. I for one would like to know why we have a homegrown gk who we aren't playing? Like what was the point of signing him?
Oh I'd love to know who scouted Evander. Was he chewing gum at the meet and greet? Sulte I think is a long term prospect, he's young and probably expected to be number 2 in a couple years when we let journeyman Bingham go
With the win, Whitecaps FC moved into first place in the 2023 Cascadia Cup standings. If Seattle and Portland draw next Saturday, the 'Caps would claim the Cascadia Cup and tie Seattle with the most among the three clubs with seven
If anyone doesn't want "moto be here next season - and who can blame them? - then this match certainly chekcs off a box on the "moving out of town" list.
Yeah, the problem is I don't see any difference makers. Even when we struggled, you could tell a guy like DV8 was a game changer. Nobody is standing out.
Could be. Or maybe Gio and his assistants weren't very good at giving instructions. They still play the same old confused way despite having an interim coach. I don't think we can expect too much from Joseph at this point; he's just holding the fort down while Grabavoy searches for the new guy.
Bravo has been roasted a couple times already and our defense is leaving a lot of space behind the line and not tracking runners. Defending 101 stuff. It's incredible how inept our team is. All aspects of the coaching and physical training is terrible. So slow in every aspect of the game. Ugh
Interesting that Miles Joseph was named the interim coach considering that llamosa has previously stepped in when Gio was suspended/unavailable. No offense to Joseph but he's just another mildly talented American player who made it to the league at a time when the average domestic skill level was quite low. I have no idea what kind of coaching nous he has but considering that he's part of the old regime, I am wary.
Like Mr C, I will be watching the body language to see how the players perform. If they appear highly eenthusiastic and energetic from the start, well then...
I think Carlos is taking the firing hard given he's been out this week. Carlos may be considering if he wants to stay with the club for the rest of the season so it may not make sense for him to step into the role.
This game is going to be very telling. Is the team showing more effort? Are they playing better? Does it look like the players are disinterested?
I'm watching everything in this game. Players body language, Coaching, ect. One thing is clear. Timbers need to find a coach asap and that might not mean the best possible candidate, but it has to be better than Miles Joseph. The guys interview is depressing. He looks like he doesn't want the job and that toxic body language is going to burry this team.
He's purely an interim coach and he knows it - that entire staff knows that as soon as a full time manager comes in, they're probably gone. Why should be be all I LOVE THIS TEAM WITH ALL MY HEART in interviews when he knows he'll only be here for 9 more weeks?
"Timbers need to find a coach asap"
No they don't. They need to find a good coach by about November. They need to do the search right, not quickly.
At least he's honest. Personally, he probably knows he's dead man walking. He'll probably be out of a job very soon. He;s just keeping the seat warm for the next guy. I can wait until offseason to name the new coach. I just want a PROPER search.
Not the timing? You mean he should have been let go earlier? Can't disagree. If you mean too early---season was lost before leagues cup. We weren't doing anything w/ or w/out Gio. Now FO has a chance to find and vet a candidate, and get him signed before end of year so he can opine on personnel moves from the beginning of the offseason. Gio wasn't reaching the players anymore and actively pissing several off. Keeping him would have been a lose-lose proposition.
I would have been ok with earlier, or later, even after season. Firing him when we are only 5points out of the playoffs and before a cascadia derby match? The could have fired him tomorrow. I just think it’s the worst, or close to it, possible time.
I do wonder if the Hou loss was so bad that perhaps the FO heard from STH that no renewal unless new coach/improvements made. Gotta admit that firing a coach with 10 games remaining in the season is not exactly the way to go if trying to make a playoffs push. Also possible the FO just waited too long and realized playoffs were pretty much out and pulled the plug to appease the fans.
Hey, Sounders fan here. My son has a tournament this weekend and the group got a set of tickets in 215, got to see my first match at Providence Park. Sharing my impressions in case anyone is interested.
First off, whoever set up those 215 seats should be forced to sit there themselves. Specifically try out row V, seat 1. You get an awesome view of a wall, a post, and half of the field! But besides MLS PRO reffing, that was the only non-positive of the whole experience.
Man, I have to tell you guys, you have an awesome thing going. Despite the season and coaching, other woes (fyi Sounders have all the same in spades these days, we’re a fucking mess head to toe).
Before the start I moved down to 109 and stood in the back row. Much better. And I got to bask in the vibe of your guys’ supporters’ section. Man, you guys have it going on. The songs, drumming, and overall unity of the section are awesome. The stadium and end’s acoustics are really tasty. The rolling “fuck Vancouver” to start the game was fucking awesome. Despite being down 2-0 at the half, strongly welcoming your guys in towards the tunnel was solid.
You guys played and supported with grit in the second half. Some stupid mistakes and a lot of shitty reffing stunted what looked to be an awesome comeback against the odds. There were plenty of reasons you guys should have lost or thrown in the towel, but you kept in it despite things being a bit ragged.
The epidemic of MLS PRO not running a good game, and just letting the last 30-35 mins of nearly every MLS match turn into a potential shit show of delays and theatrics is killing this league. The fans are held hostage, and as a 9 year STH my patience has run thin. Hated to see it happen with you guys last night, you kept building momentum and it kept getting snuffed out. I want to see an epidemic of yellow cards for the divers and time-wasters, and get the game flow back on track. I don’t get the sense that Garber gives a crap about anything other than selling more franchises and toying with our league to whatever financial or other ego ends that he can come up with. It’s pathetic and sells out years of blood, sweat, tears and investment by the fanbases. At least that’s the way I have been feeling about it.
About next weekend. For years I looked forward to our derbys, but Schmetzer’s predictability, our lack of bite (man I miss Ozzie), and the general shit-show play of our team for the vast majority of the last 12 months have made the last iterations difficult to watch at best. These are not normal times though, and to boot you guys have had our number for years (I put that mainly on Schmetzer). I have no idea what is going to happen- in normal times I am losing my voice, dropping f-bombs and the bird to your team and coaches, and enjoying the hell out if myself. I do know this though- I’m buying a couple of your traveling supporters beers as a cheers to your guys’ spirit. Good to have you guys as neighbors and worthy rivals, and may the best team win.
I know you probably weren't "rooting" in any serious way, but who does a Sounders fan root for in a Portland/Vancouver match? Or were you just taking in the atmosphere?
I don't know how it works with SeatGeek but the Timbers used to be pretty reliable about listing which seats are obstructed view. Bummer you got stuck there, but thanks to the Timbers being the Timbers, you got to move to a much better spot!
"I don’t get the sense that Garber gives a crap about anything other than selling more franchises"
I think now Garber gives a crap only about maximizing Messi. I have a ton of doubts this is good for the league overall, even as Messi as a player definitely is.
"The stadium and end’s acoustics are really tasty. The rolling “fuck Vancouver” to start the game was fucking awesome."
Yeah, and after a long league layoff and some turgid-at-best play, the TA was in really good voice last night. It was great to hear.
Glad you had a good time!
Thanks, had a great time. Our games have sucked lately, our tactics are stale, our FO and media have felt out of touch , misleading, or tone deaf. There’s honestly been more frustration than good footy feelings over the last year. Again I loved your stadium, supporters, and the effort of the team together despite being up against it. I know I am naive to longer issues you guys may be frustrated with, but it was nice to enjoy soccer in a great atmosphere without a lot of the emotional baggage I have been dealing with up N.
Regarding who to root for- I have had some affinity for Timbers and your fans esp since we teamed up vs MLS regarding some of the freedom of speech issues. I respect your club, and don’t have much attachment to Van. Also respect for the home team, and again your supporters are committed which is easy to get behind. I held off on joining any Portland-specific chants, but applauded your good play, swore at the refs, and was bummed with the final score.
"Our games have sucked lately, our tactics are stale, our FO and media have felt out of touch , misleading, or tone deaf. There’s honestly been more frustration than good footy feelings over the last year."
That sounds depressingly familiar. Remember when the MLS Cup final spot from the West was one of these two teams every year? It's kind of amazing how far away that feels now, seemingly for both our favorite clubs.
“ Remember when the MLS Cup final spot from the West was one of these two teams every year? It's kind of amazing how far away that feels now, seemingly for both our favorite clubs.”
100%. We used to be on the cutting edge, pushing the league forward. Now it feels like we’re stuck in a Garber-controlled ever-increasing corporate morass. Too much BS, we had a good thing and I am jonesing for that old feeling.
If it wasn’t there already, Evander is going to have a huge target on his back for easy reactionary yellows. I hope he works on it/gets help.
These games where the other team starts wasting time at minute 55 are excruciating. The worst soccer. Especially when the ref is licking it all up. If a subbed guy stops on the field to take his shin guards out: yellow—introduce that rule immediately.
Vancouver started wasting time almost immediately after their first goal. It only got worse as the game went on.
My hot take for how to fix time wasting is a truly hot one. Traditionalists, hold on:
Stop the clock when play stops for any reason.
The clock can still count up from 0 to 90, but any time the play stops, the clock stops. Out of bounds? Stop until the throw/kick happens. Corner/free kick? Stop the clock until boot touches ball. Player down? Stop the clock. Player being subbed off? Stop the clock until he's off the pitch. Goal? Stop the clock until it's kicked off again. Then, when you get to 45 or 90 minutes, you just blow the whistle and that's that - no added time, because the time spent not playing was accounted for by the stopped clock.
I am not suggesting changing the way the game unfolds, at all - keep everything exactly the same as it is now. Just...don't run the clock when the game is not running.
Totally agree with this. I’ve been saying it for years!
I also would like to abolish points for draws but that’s probably a bridge too far (or whatever the saying is).
There is a serious proposal in front of IFAB to do just this. They would shorten the halves to 30 minutes as that is the average time that actual soccer is played today in a 45 minute half. Another proposal is that an injured player who receives treatment must stay off the field for two minutes, or can be subbed off immediately.
I would love that. Both of those are good ideas.
Premier League this morning noted that they were holding players off the field if they get an injury during stoppage time. Interested to see if it makes a difference with time wasting.
Honestly, I am encouraged by some of the passion I saw out there. Evander made a silly challenge that cost us the draw. I didn't see a team that gave up though, so that's a start.
I think there will be a lot of small improvements for the rest of the season. They may not be a playoff team but they might end up being halfway interesting to watch if they play the rest of the games like they played the last 30 min of this one.
Gotta admit that display of emotionf or Mora surprised me. Guess we have to ride out this season before closing the book on anyone.
I agree. Too little too late tonight but we eventually did show some fight.
And I thought we showed a ton of fight against the Mexican clubs in leagues Cup.
We must’ve been watching two different matches. Passion was missing for the first 75 minutes.
Well, you're right, we ended the game well. I was being positive.
My bad. Should be more supportive at this point. Just frustration leaking onto the stack. RCTID always.
Evander is a very frustrating player to watch. His talent level is obvious and we’d be crazy to bail on him after 25ish games.
How many games should we give him for 1.8 million a year I would expect hime to T least pretend that he cared.
Give him a big chunk of time with a stable roster before you write him off. And don't pretend like you know whether he cares or not just by reading body language, which is a terrible way to evaluate a player.
I very much want you to be correct. I really do and will look for that. He is so talented that he really can be someone to build the team around. Go Timbers as we turn this around.
Well he’s tied for the team lead in goals, so he’s producing something of value.
But it’d be great if all players earned their salaries with a combination of great attitude and statistics.
Blanco makes $1.3, which is not commensurate with his production. But he does appear to care a lot when he plays for 15 minutes a game.
I don’t know what the correct number of games is to evaluate the fit of a player. Especially when the roster is slowly being sort of turned over. I just know that I wouldn’t pull the plug on a talented 25 year old who leads your team in goals after one season.
He's got talent, but I don't see the attitude/effort/character improving, even with age or time or a new coach. Great players just don't act the way Evander acts. Valeri never pulled that shit. D. Chara never does that shit.
Valeri spent the last two seasons of his career constantly complaining to referees about perceived fouls. Any time anyone so much as came close to Valeri, he was over at the referee gesturing wildly and trying to get a call he was never gonna get.
He is an absolute club legend, but let's not pretend he was some unimpeachable saint who Always Did Everything The Right Way, because nobody is that.
ergo, evander is not a great player.
Super fair and valid point. He seems childish and petulant but super talented. But I’m not ready to punt on a 25 year old after 25 games.
I have no clue how he acted at Midtjylland but maybe their culture was strong enough to get him to be more mature?
Petulant is exactly how I described him during the match. And soft. Soft af. Contrast to Boli, who's hard as nails, never out of the fight.
Valeri did before he left. Many players have acted like that in soccer. Some of the best in the world. Ibrahimavic, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, neymar, mbappe, Maradona, gio reyna, I could go on and on. But it doesn't make it right or acceptable. His attitude is shit in many ways and that is enough for me to say gtfoh. Brian Fernandez was on drugs and didn't act that way. He actually gave 100% effort at all times.
Actually don’t remember such a stupid move from Valeri. And contrary to your point, even chara flipped out once and slapped that Montreal player getting him a straight red. That was stupid. Kind of like when Zadine head butted that Italian player in World Cup and lost the French a clear chance at the win which was well before mbappe. But focusing on Evander... What’s absolutely irritating is what a waste He is on the offensive side. Blanco and his no cartilage knees played better tonight. He did ALL the work on evanders goal. At this point is there any question that prime blanco was twice the player that evader has been at any point this year. We dumped Gio. I say they bench Evander after that performance. Heartless lifeless gutless. Mentally, he’s never been there. I keep waiting...
It feels like the risk when you bring DPs in. You hope they’re like Messi in terms of on field play and buy in to your team, city, and culture. Sometimes they don’t buy in and it’s a nightmare. I’m watching Toronto with Insigne and, while Evander drives me crazy, at least it doesn’t seem like that situation!!
I guess if it is like that, it just hasn’t gotten out
Insigne is widely reported to be very unhappy in Toronto and very badly wants out. He doesn't get along with Bernardeschi (their dislike actually predates their Toronto teammate-ship, and makes me wonder why they signed Bernardeschi, since their dislike was very public), didn't get along with Bradley, and while I don't watch Toronto enough to know (or at all, really), I'd be willing to bet he hasn't "bought in" at this point.
Thank you Blanco
(Evander just one of our 5 forwards at this point)
That was some vintage Timbers shit. Nice goal.
Anyone listening to the radio? Keith is relating his own busted finger story, pretty amusing
Melano >>> Evander in my book. At least one of those guys made an honest effort and wasn’t an arrogant, lazy jackass.
Kinda ignomious that we whiffed on three huge transfers: Fernandez, Melano, and now Evander. I'm clinging right now to any sort of hope that we can save this stiuation but this match isn't helping. Unbellievable really - just ike the Caps produced Davies, we actually struck gold with DV and Blanco. And yet missed on three more signings that were much more expensive. Yikes!!
It blows my mind that in this trash fire of a season, where literally everything with this team has gone wrong, lots of people are already calling Evander a waste of time and space and money after he's played, effectively, half a season for the Timbers. I get that sports takes are quick and hot, but man, this whole "EVANDER SUCKS" thing took off mindblowingly fast.
I'm not blind. I see the mistakes he makes. But I also see what is going on around him, and I see a defense that would struggle in rec league, and a midfield that doesn't really know what it's doing either, and I figure this is not the season to evaluate him. If he's still this bad this time next season, after an off season where the Timbers are gonna hopefully rebuild a lot, then sure, maybe "Evander can go" is a thought that will cross my mind. But at this point? He's not even remotely the Timbers' biggest problem.
We’re not blind to his production or his skill. We’re also not blind to his attitude and body language. It sucks. If this was a Gio thing then his body language should have changed significantly. It didn’t. He looks to be the same disinterested player he was before. We’ll see what happens in the next game or two but I’d say he’s given up on Timbers already. Unless some coach can get some buy in from him that shows up on the field, his days here are already numbered. And that’s more his doing and not fans giving up on him.
Body language is a terrible way to evaluate a player. You have no idea what's going on in his head - all you see is what you see. Maybe he's frustrated at himself for not elevating the team! Maybe he's mad at Vancouver for wasting so much time during the match! We don't know!
Also, I will take an entire team full of "disinterested" players any time if they (co)lead the team in goals scored.
Sorry, but couldn’t disagree more. Body language is everything and when you see it displayed on a regular basis from game to game to game. It clearly demonstrates an attitude in the head. Also good mindset never presents with bad body language. Remember we’re not talking about performance we’re talking about body language. You can work hard but miss goals and even make mistakes on defense and still have good body language. Making petulant choices in the penalty box, lazing around with your touches, and generally just slacking it in the way you move...these things are different, and they absolutely say some thing about the state of mind. And his sucks and has sucked for quite a few games. I would say that one of his better performances was in leagues cup, until yet again, another petulant foul that led to a second yellow and ejection, that then prevented him from playing in the next game. Complete lack of maturity. I’d say, when we pay a player a bucket of money we’re not just asking for superior skills we’re asking for the mentality and the focus to exercise those skills and that’s what’s missing from Evander. Will it come back? I sure hope so. I have no personal beef with Evander. I think that his situation and all the adversity the teams dealt with this year is not what he expected. But great players perform they don’t just throw in the towel. Well, I should say at least the great players I want to watch.
Again: dude is tied for the team lead in goals scored and is joint third in assists. Does that read like a guy who doesn't care? Who cares whether he "looks like he cares" - I care whether he produces like he cares. And he seems to.
"Remember we’re not talking about performance we’re talking about body language."
So you're admitting there's no correlation between performance and body language. On that we absolutely agree.
"But great players perform they don’t just throw in the towel"
Show me where the towel was thrown in last night. Dumb fouls? Sure. He did those, and that's not great. But he also scored a goal, which, if he's "thrown in the towel" he would, in your example, be sulking on the touchline and not be contributing at all.
"You can work hard but miss goals and even make mistakes on defense and still have good body language"
And the exact opposite is also true: you can score goals or defend well or whatever and have neutral-to-poor body language.
I mean, let's take Diego Chara for an example.
Any time he gets called for a foul, he smiles. Almost a knowing laugh, right? That sort of like "yeah, I know what I did was bad, but that's what I do" thing he does. He flashes that big Diego Chara smile we know and love. And it's amazing. But the rest of the time, when he makes a really good play, his face is stone still and he looks borderline pissed off; whether that's focus or intensity or whatever, I'm not sure, but...that's my point.
If body language mattered, we'd be all over DC for smiling when he fouls someone, and we'd be berating him for a lack of passion for not being more publicly exuberant when he makes a good play, right? But we don't, because we understand that the body language he shows doesn't relate in any way to the quality of his play.
If it did matter, to get back to Evander, he would, in the eyes of a lot of folks, have zero goals and zero assists, because he doesn't carry himself right.
"we’re asking for the mentality and the focus to exercise those skills and that’s what’s missing from Evander."
But it's not? He does exercise his skills! He scores goals! That's why he's here!
He makes a lot of dumb, frustrated person mistakes. Those aren't great. But he can be coached out of those, and as the team improves, and reworks its roster towards coherence this winter, I believe he will move past most of those dumb mistakes. He's too good of a player not to.
It's just silly to write a player off after 20 games because you don't like the way he carries himself.
Could not agree with you more.
Could not disagree with him more. Look who He has around him. Forwards that don’t make runs. Wingers that don’t make runs. Absolutely stagnant attack. If I was him, I would be frustrated too, given the talent he has. This is not to excuse the attitude, and the stupid foul in the box. Evander is far from what’s wrong with this team.
"Could not agree with you more." I was agreeing with RCTEyeDee, not disagreeing. In short, you and I agree.
Glad for that. Having trouble following all the lines.
Yeah, I get you. Thing is, he's playing as if he doesn't want to be here. I thought he looked great with Williamson and then Eryk went down. Add to that the mounting injuries and the clueless supporting cast around him...
He was pretty good in Europa League. If we could just get the roster straightened out with a real coach, watch out.
"If we could just get the roster straightened out with a real coach, watch out."
And that's what I'm hoping happens this winter, and why I'm not writing Evander off just yet.
Oh hey look who just scored
So he equalized his penalty with Blanco doing the heavy lifting.
10 million ?
Don't forget Niezgoda. I'm not willing to write Evander off yet. But it will require a big jump in maturity and humility next year. It could happen.
Oh yeah, like Landoid mentioned with Evander - I wanna know sho greenlighted his signing. He was injured right around them time he got here - remember he had that surgery? And now the 3rd (?) ACL? Yeah, which scout if any was resposible?
His attitude alone is a no go. No class. I don't care that we had problems that preceded him; a quality player would work through that.
He heard you and replied on the pitch ;)
Who though Grabavoy would be a good GM? He was an average player, stuck around as a scout (and who did he find?), fell into the GM role after Wilkinson left in shame.
Playing ability/careet doesn't necessarily correlate with success as a gm. Granted, Grabavoy's playing career is lightweight - he was a waterboy during those rsl years - it was the Becker,am amd Morales show back then. Still I was willing to give him a shot because he was familiar with the league and he seemed to do ok as a scout. That said, if we can get a guy like Ernst Tanner - we absolutely make the change.
But ......but .......but a lot of people said he was a good second gm. Who? What people? What list of gm's and sporting directors said that? A guy with no experience as a gm. With no history of successful signings or transfers. It's a joke. He is a joke and a piss poor gm. What weight does he have in convincing good players to come to Portland? What connections around the world does he have?
MP is a joke of a owner. Small ambition and small mentality. He isn't cutthroat enough. He only cares if his fo throats him.
Several MLS front offices seemed to rate him pretty highly as a #2 in a survey from last year:
https://theathletic.com/3162180/2022/03/03/2022-mls-team-executive-anonymous-survey-candid-views-on-owners-coaches-players-and-cheating-around-the-league/
It was an anonymous survey, so you won't find names, but people in his own industry seem to think he's good at his job, so.
I would be fine with him leaving than and going somewhere else. Cause a gm with no experience and no history of success is a joke. People might like him but that doesn't make up for his lack of experience and history of success. So what are they basing it on if there is no empirical evidence to base his value on?
Several extremely successful recent GM hires in MLS have been guys with no experience. The “experience” reason is just an excuse to blame Ned for things that aren’t at all his fault. He hasn’t even been in the job a year, and even less time with a number 2 helping him. Give the guy some time
I don't know, and I won't pretend to. But if the people in the industry in which he works think he's good at his job, he probably is. Sports is a very insular business; teams and staffs talk all the time, through the scouting and recruitment process. Word about people gets around and nobody stays unnoticed for long in those circles.
"Cause a gm with no experience and no history of success is a joke."
Or, it's a GM who just started in the #1 job, like...every GM ever, at one point or another. Whether you think Ned is a "joke" or not is irrelevant, because you have as much empirical evidence to back that up as you want people to have to see your side of your argument.
Look, you don't like the guy, and that's fine. But just constantly repeating the word "joke" about him doesn't really make a very strong argument. You asked for a list of who liked him, you got one, and you don't accept that as being valid. Cool! But maybe come up with some substantive critiques instead of just grinding away at "he has no experience", because, well, he has more than you do at this point, right?
I know this is a farfetched idea but given this season is dunzo anyway why not just call up some T2 guys just to see what we have? Pretty clear that some of the frist team squad shouldn't be here anymore so might as well get an early move on finding their replacements.
Maybe because T2 is too busy getting destroyed by other "2" teams. We know what they have and it isn't good
Because MLS roster rules don't allow it. They allow short-term signings from the affiliated MLS Next Pro, but each short term signing is only allowed a maximum of two games with the senior squad and each signing is only for four days.
They're designed for injury replacements, not evaluation of fit with the senior squad.
Can't we like maybe rtotate the guys - just give them each two games each or is that not allwoable? Dire situation indeed.
I mean, it's probably allowable, I'm just not sure it would accomplish the goal you're looking to accomplish (I wish it worked the way you want). Ideally if "play the kids" was gonna be a thing, they should get a consistent run of games, and not just a 1-2 game cameo. There's 9 games left now and cycling guys through and throwing them in an unfamiliar setup just to then send them back to T2 a week or so later doesn't really seem like the best way to do that evaluation.
I'm just not seeing anything from Mosquera. Nothing going forward and he's absent on D because he always so far forward. We end up defending with 3 with our center backs covering for him. It's fine if they want to send him forward, but he has to actually produce something...
Oh, he's way down the list of problem players. Like, way way down
Evander needs to be gone ASAP
It seems like now that Gio is out y'all have turned your ire towards Evander
Evander didn't get the memo that the team's morale was picking up with their goal. That was a lazy, IDGAF challenge. Sigh.
I stand corrected: I think I hate Evander more than Melano now
He may well want out of here. He didn't leave Europa league competition for this. He might also want to fire his agent.
Such a stupid, lazy, unnecessary foul
Those 3 words come to mind exactly
Moreover, WHY? The player has his back to goal. WHY?
I would add selfish. We're all frustrated, dude; don't drag your team and city down with that shit
Mora can stay; he's only in my book. And there was emtion after he scored.
Nice Mora, nice. There we go. That should pick the guys up a bit.
I'm starting to suspect that the only way to fix this situation - short of MP selling - is a Cincy style reboot. That means new GM, TD, Coach, etc
Yep. And if you don't have the massive dollars to compete with Miami, Atlanta and LAFC for the big ticket DPs, you need to go the Philly route and invest in your Academy and play the kids
And I don't want to hear the excuse that Portland/Oregon has a small population pool. Like nobody else does scouting outside of their supposed "territory"? Ha ha. Stop being lazy and hire some scouts - Actual, credible scouts! - and search the country for kids!
Paulson's MO has been to promote from within and keep everything in-house, along with relentless small-time MLS 1.0 thinking. He's been losing support for two seasons now without that changing. I'd like to think that he might change if things get truly dire financially...but I'd be kidding if I thought that's anything close to a given...
Paulson isn't running the team any more though. At least that's what they're saying since hiring that CEO that was haven't heard from since she was hired
Now, c'mon! She and Ned signed Gio to a guaranteed extention with no performance cluases. She did a thing.
I don't think the CEO has any soccer experience..or does she? It sounded more like a typical CEO in charge of business tupe of move. Like the actual soccer operation is bieng run by Gtrabavoy and the coaching staff. Am I correct in this assertion?
i believe she worked at one time for the nfl.
1000000009% behind that
Santos boli Moreno
Yimmi Chara Paredes masquera
Mcgraw zup Araujo
Bingham
Make it happen. Bravo has been terrible
I just do not understand why Evander is playing as an 8, he’s been significantly worse ever since we moved to a 4-3-3 and put him there. And our offense has zero organization, everyone just goes and stands in a line along the defensive backline and doesn’t move, waiting for Evander or one of the fullbacks to do something. It’s nauseating
100% agree. i just can't quite tell if it's lack of effort or low soccer iq...probably both!
Is ivacic injured or was this a conscious decision to start one of the worst GKs in the league?
Yep, no idea why we aren't starting the the "best gk in mls."
Conscious decision probably. For whatever reason, both Gio and Joseph think Bingham is a worthy no 2 in this league. Actually, he's barely good enough to even get spot starts and should be in usl at this point in his career.
And we are about to drop to 13th in the west.
This is so frustrating. We have 7 players around the box taking up the same space.
Vancouver is getting around our midfield and backline in 3 passes. Then we have Evander who has the composer of a child and the work ethic of a 80 year old, and none of our players can put the ball on frame. Incredible!
We need a massive rebirth to bring hope to this Fandom and that means a elite coach and massive turnover. Disgusting display again.
An idea but if STH and TA both call up the ticket reps and simply say that no renewal and will not buy any merch, etc until MP sells the team - and make it publicly known - maybe that might help. Or pray that Garber notices the lack of ticket sales and mentions him in the annual state of the union address a la rbny.
I would be more of an advocate for a mass transfer to the Thorns.
I was already inclined not to renew after about 16 years as a STH...now I am decided after this. A complete change in the culture is needed, not just the coach, and with MP selling that’s not happening. Talk to me again in 2-3 years...meanwhile I will buy tickets on Seatgeek and support the players. Just won’t commit to a season.
Let your ticket rep know! And make it clear that MP is definitely part of the problem.
"We need a massive rebirth to bring hope to this Fandom and that means a elite coach and massive turnover."
Ummm...this IS the same Peregrine organization that brought us to this point, you know that, right?
Evander is our new Lucas Melano
I'm fine with losing him, and we best do
Well, we spent 10 mil on him; did we have a p lan for him? Whose call was it to buy him? Grabavoy? I still thhink Evander can be salvaged but most of these roster needs to be gone. And to be quite frank, I'd like to see Caliskan and Sulte get more of a shot. The season is lost so we might as well find out if any of the reserves have someting to offer. I for one would like to know why we have a homegrown gk who we aren't playing? Like what was the point of signing him?
Oh I'd love to know who scouted Evander. Was he chewing gum at the meet and greet? Sulte I think is a long term prospect, he's young and probably expected to be number 2 in a couple years when we let journeyman Bingham go
Question, can we lose this but still win cascadia cup?
https://www.whitecapsfc.com/news/caps-move-atop-cascadia-cup-standings
Insert "and it's gone" gif
With the win, Whitecaps FC moved into first place in the 2023 Cascadia Cup standings. If Seattle and Portland draw next Saturday, the 'Caps would claim the Cascadia Cup and tie Seattle with the most among the three clubs with seven
If anyone doesn't want "moto be here next season - and who can blame them? - then this match certainly chekcs off a box on the "moving out of town" list.
I didn't think there would be a lot of turnover in the off-season but at this point I think we might need it.
Keep
Zup, Mcgraw, chara
Get rid of everyone else
Even Boli?
Depends on the price. He is on a one year deal. And depends on mora and if we are using a dp spot on a striker.
Yeah, the problem is I don't see any difference makers. Even when we struggled, you could tell a guy like DV8 was a game changer. Nobody is standing out.
Okay, we can chalk this one into the lost column…….
Here's hoping Araujo's contact is honored like Gio's
Much taller guy vs shorter guy, that's gonna happen. Bravo needs to grow or jump higher.
Guys are running into each other at the top of the box. Terrible spacing. Confusion in new instructions maybe?
Could be. Or maybe Gio and his assistants weren't very good at giving instructions. They still play the same old confused way despite having an interim coach. I don't think we can expect too much from Joseph at this point; he's just holding the fort down while Grabavoy searches for the new guy.
Gave up way too much space again. Our issues are pretty deep rooted and probably needs the offseason and maybe another season or two to get fixed.
Well, we weren't going to fix things in a week.
Evander just standing around and not even running into space doesn't help either. I really hate him. He is a pre-madona
Madonna is now 65. I doubt Evander precedes her.
Bravo has been roasted a couple times already and our defense is leaving a lot of space behind the line and not tracking runners. Defending 101 stuff. It's incredible how inept our team is. All aspects of the coaching and physical training is terrible. So slow in every aspect of the game. Ugh
Interesting that Miles Joseph was named the interim coach considering that llamosa has previously stepped in when Gio was suspended/unavailable. No offense to Joseph but he's just another mildly talented American player who made it to the league at a time when the average domestic skill level was quite low. I have no idea what kind of coaching nous he has but considering that he's part of the old regime, I am wary.
Like Mr C, I will be watching the body language to see how the players perform. If they appear highly eenthusiastic and energetic from the start, well then...
I think Carlos is taking the firing hard given he's been out this week. Carlos may be considering if he wants to stay with the club for the rest of the season so it may not make sense for him to step into the role.
Agreed. I think it's more likely Carlos wouldn't take the job out of anger at club and loyalty to Gio more than Miles being Ned's first choice.
This game is going to be very telling. Is the team showing more effort? Are they playing better? Does it look like the players are disinterested?
I'm watching everything in this game. Players body language, Coaching, ect. One thing is clear. Timbers need to find a coach asap and that might not mean the best possible candidate, but it has to be better than Miles Joseph. The guys interview is depressing. He looks like he doesn't want the job and that toxic body language is going to burry this team.
He's purely an interim coach and he knows it - that entire staff knows that as soon as a full time manager comes in, they're probably gone. Why should be be all I LOVE THIS TEAM WITH ALL MY HEART in interviews when he knows he'll only be here for 9 more weeks?
"Timbers need to find a coach asap"
No they don't. They need to find a good coach by about November. They need to do the search right, not quickly.
I think he was just really nervous. Most of his answers seemed rehearsed.
At least he's honest. Personally, he probably knows he's dead man walking. He'll probably be out of a job very soon. He;s just keeping the seat warm for the next guy. I can wait until offseason to name the new coach. I just want a PROPER search.
The most interesting thing right now is the synchronized stretching of the officials. Never seen this before😳😂
I’m nervous... hope the players are too...
I get firing Gio, but not the timing.
This is either going to light a fire, or end the season.
Not the timing? You mean he should have been let go earlier? Can't disagree. If you mean too early---season was lost before leagues cup. We weren't doing anything w/ or w/out Gio. Now FO has a chance to find and vet a candidate, and get him signed before end of year so he can opine on personnel moves from the beginning of the offseason. Gio wasn't reaching the players anymore and actively pissing several off. Keeping him would have been a lose-lose proposition.
I would have been ok with earlier, or later, even after season. Firing him when we are only 5points out of the playoffs and before a cascadia derby match? The could have fired him tomorrow. I just think it’s the worst, or close to it, possible time.
I do wonder if the Hou loss was so bad that perhaps the FO heard from STH that no renewal unless new coach/improvements made. Gotta admit that firing a coach with 10 games remaining in the season is not exactly the way to go if trying to make a playoffs push. Also possible the FO just waited too long and realized playoffs were pretty much out and pulled the plug to appease the fans.
Not starting McGraw. Williamson is down on the pitch but not in the starting lineup
Williamson is on the pitch, eh? He's not listed as a sub, either. Wonder why McGraw isn't starting.
I think it's a sign Williamson is getting into fighting shape. We sure need more McGraw out there
First:)
And away... we... go...